JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. - Staff Sergeant Danika Nolan's military exit date is a couple of weeks away, and she's getting ready for the shift at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

As part of a group of about 30 job hunters, she attended a hiring reasonable Jan. 30 that showcased Washington State career chances at JBLM's Hawk Career Center.

"I just try to benefit from all the resources and services that the (Transition Assistance Program) Center needs to use, simply to make certain I'm as prepared as possible," she said.

The focus of the job fair on state employment, instead of employment in numerous markets, made it various than others on the installation. Sponsored by the Veterans Employee Resource Group, WorkSource and the TAP, it started with a panel of veterans from state firms, who shared their experiences and responded to questions. Following the panel, employers from state firms were available to respond to hiring questions, said Frank Handoe, deputy transition services manager for botdb.win the TAP.

Informational tables represented companies consisting of VERG, WorkSource and Washington State's Department of Veterans Affairs and VA Apprenticeship Program; Department of Children, Youth and Families; Department of Social and Health Services, Community Services Division; and Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

A quarterly event, the task fair is "a low-stress, low-pressure chance to discover what kind of chances exist here outdoors your back door," said Christopher Gentz, shift services manager for the Directorate of Human Resources.

Additional task fairs like the Jan. 30 occasion will be held May 8, July 10 and Sept. 11.

To prepare for them, "gown for success," bring your resume and practice your elevator pitch, Gentz stated.

An elevator pitch is a "fast intro of yourself, who you are and what you're looking to do," Handoe said, mentioning that the skill is taught as part of the TAP.

Among the job fair's objectives was to help people find out about career opportunities and how their skills line up with them, Gentz stated.

Education is a key benefit of going to a job reasonable, as about 40% of those who start with the TAP discover they're "not ready to make that dive yet," or they have actually seen the readily available chances and ura.cc choose to continue serving, Gentz said.

"We see that generally every year," he stated. "We desire them to make an educated choice about their career."

Part of the education piece is discovering financial resources, consisting of credit reports, spending plans and "building a savings so you have something to deal with when it's time to go out," Handoe stated.

"Everybody's going to get out of the Army one day," he said, "however while you remain in, are you doing whatever you can to prepare to get out?"

Job fairs likewise exist to assist people with networking, seeing what people in the outdoors world are looking for - including accreditations, accreditations and education - and discovering their employing practices, Handoe stated.

"You should be doing prep work now for what it is you want to do later down the roadway," he said.

That preparation work consists of preparing for task fairs.

"You need to go into a hiring fair with a strategy of what you're going to do and not just meander around," Handoe stated.

He discussed that participants need to determine the companies they wish to talk with and research study them ahead of time, to enable educated discussions with recruiters.

Nolan took pleasure in the Jan. 30 job reasonable and talked to some employers. A senior details technology expert with the 16th Combat Aviation Unit, she has found she desires to serve those who serve in her approaching civilian function.